Tables



Sept. 10, 1963 T. c. MCGUIRK TABLES Filed 001:. 31, 1962 INVENTOR! Wm M %rmw W United States Patent 9 3,193,185 TABLES Thomas C. MeGuirk, Reynard Crag, Birstwith, Harrogate, England Filed Oct. 31, 1962, Ser. No. 234,296 9 Claims. (Cl. 108-64) This invention relates to tables of the type having at least one pair of legs, or joined legs, hinged to the underside of the table top adjacent a straight edge of said top with said legs movable from a folded position to a vertical supporting position to be retained by locking means. It also relates to assemblies of such tables.

Tables of the above type are eminently suitable for storage purposes and also convenient for forming extended table arrangements when means are provided for inter-connecting tables. Such an extended arrangement may include one or more master tables, which may have fixed or collapsible legs, and the other tables may be simply furnished with one pair of hinged legs, or equivalent hinged leg structure, for another edge of a table to be interlocked with an adjacent table.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a table of the above type with improved locking means.

Accordingly a collapsible table of the above kind is characterised in having locking means comprising channellike brackets on the legs or an associated part and also depending channel-like brackets on the underside of the top, said leg and table top brackets lying adjacent one another when the legs are in their supporting position, and at least one thin bar-like locking member fixedly depending from a cover piece or table top to enter the aligned channel-like brackets to lock them together and the legs in position.

The channel-like brackets depending from the table top may comprise two pairs of brackets with each pair arranged one bracket each side of a said leg bracket.

The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective part view of a table top with its hinged leg stiucture locked in an operative position by a detachable cover piece;

FIG. 2 is a similar View with the cover piece removed;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective part view from beneath the table with the leg structure folded back.

Particularly a table top 1 is furnished with a leg structure comprising a pair of legs 2 joined together by a cross piece 3 at their upper ends and the legs (or the cross piece) are furnished with a pair of hinges each comprising parts 4, 5. If desired the. pivot bolts 6 for the hinges may be removable. This leg structure is imnished with a pair of channel-like brackets 7 lying on the outer faces of the legs 2 and conveniently each bracket forms part of the half of the hinge for the top. As shown, the channel bracket 7 depends from a horizontal plate 8 which lies on top of the leg 2 and such plate has a depending hinge plate 9 lying on the inner face of the leg so that in effect the top of the leg is embraced by this composite bracket.

The table top 1 is (furnished with a pair of channellike brackets 10 adjacent each leg and these are pendant from the fixing plate 11 secured to the underside of the table top. Here again such pair of brackets form an integral part of the other half 4 of the hinge which is part of the plate 11 secured to the under face of the table top. Such pair of depending channel-like brackets 10 are spaced apart a distance sufficient to form a gap 12 which will accept the bracket 7 and allow such pair to lie one bracket on each side of, and closely adjacent to, the aforesaid leg channel-like bracket 7.

According to the above construction when the table top 1 is raised in relation to the leg structure, so that the legs 2 are in a supporting vertical positiomthere will be a pair of table top channel-like brackets 1t)- located pendantly and in alignment with, one on each side, the channel-like bracket 7 of each leg 2. Thus the top 1 and leg structure can be held in locked relationship by downwardly inserting a locking member 14; into each set of three aligned channel-like brackets. If desired a common member may be used to engage the two sets of channel-like brackets, or, as shown, two separate such members employed. Such members 14 are simple angle brackets. These locking members may be secured to the underside of a cover piece 15, such as the illustrated wooden batten like piece, with the brackets set back from the inner longitudinal edge 16 of the said piece so that the brackets can pass down into the aligned channels. Also, the bracket plates 11 project from beneath the table top 1 and thus form a pair of supporting surfaces 17 for a cover piece 15 or a table top 1. Such longitudinal edge 16 of the batten will lie closely adjacent the edge 18 of the table top 1 and provide a neat finish therefor. A pair of similar members 14 are secured to the underside of anothertable top 1 adjacent a free edge, ri.e., where there is no hinged leg structure 2 and which is usually the opposite edge to where the leg structure is located. In this manner another table can readily be interlocked with the first table and serve to lock the leg structure of the first table and also support itself.

The invention may be modified in various Ways in that some other form of hinges may be used for the legs or leg structure and the leg and table top channel-like brackets 7 and 10 may be separate from any hinge means and secured in any convenient manner. Moreover, stop means may be provided to ensure the locking member or members 14 being correctly positioned in an easy manner and if desired such locking member or members may have tapering edges to facilitate entry into the channellike brackets 7 and Ill. It will be understood that a single bracket 10 may lie on one side of each bracket it) although two are preferred.

What I claim is:

1. A collapsible table of the type described comprising a table top and a pair of legs hinged thereto, characterised in having locking means comprising channel like brackets on the legs or an associated part and also depending channel-like brackets on the underside of the top, said leg and table top brackets lying adjacent one another when the legs are in their supporting position, and at least one thin bar-like locking member fixedly depending from a cover piece or table top to enter the aligned channel-like brackets to lock them together and the legs in position.

2. A collapsible table according to claim 1 wherein the channel-like brackets depending from the table top comprise two pairs of brackets with each pair arranged one bracket on each side of a said leg bracket.

3. A collapsible table according to claim 1 wherein supporting surface means project from beneath the table top for a cover piece or table top to rest thereon in a leg locking operative position.

4. A collapsible table according to claim 3, wherein the rest surface means are provided by fixing plates which carry the table top channel-like brackets.

5. A collapsible table according to claim 1, wherein the channel-like brackets on the legs :form part of plate-like means embracing the tops of the legs and each providing part of the hinge which connects the leg to the table top, the other part of the hinge being carried by a fixing plate for table top channel-like brackets.

6. A collapsible table according to claim 1, including stop means positioned to ensure the locking member or members being correctly positioned in an easy manner in the aligned channel brackets.

7. A collapsible table according to claim 1, having two pairs of legs or joined leg-s hinged to the underside of a table top adjacent opposite sides thereof and furnished with channel-like [brackets to be aligned with other brackets and looked as aforesaid with the legs in a vertioa-l operative position by the use of cover pieces or other tables.

8. A table assembly comprising two or more tables constructed according to claim 1, and interlocked together to form a level table surface.

9. A table assembly according to claim 8, wherein at least the majority of tables each have one pair of separate or joined legs and means pendant from the table top adjacent the opposite edge of the table to interlock with the aligned brackets of an adjacent table.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,520,518 Thomason Dec. 23, 1924 1,923,281 Smith Aug. 22, 1933 2,297,647 Chason Sept. 29, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 501,459 Great Britain Feb. 28, 1933 801,104 Great Britain Sept. 10, 1958 816,255 France Aug. 4, 1937 

1. A COLLAPSIBLE TABLE OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED COMPRISING A TABLE TOP AND A PAIR OF LEGS HINGED THERETO, CHARACTERISED IN HAVING LOCKING MEANS COMPRISING CHANNEL-LIKE BRACKETS ON THE LEGS OR AN ASSOCIATED PART AND ALSO DEPENDING CHANNEL-LIKE BRACKETS ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE TOP, SAID LEG AND TABLE TOP BRACKETS LYING ADJACENT ONE ANOTHER WHEN THE LEGS ARE IN THEIR SUPPORTING POSITION, AND AT LEAST ONE THIN BAR-LIKE LOCKING MEMBER FIXEDLY DEPENDING FROM A COVER PIECE OR TABLE TOP TO ENTER THE ALIGNED CHANNEL-LIKE BRACKETS TO LOCK THEM TOGETHER AND THE LEGS IN POSITION. 